Collegiate Twirler Spotlight - University of Oklahoma Feature Twirler

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

The weather is finally beginning to change (at least in the mornings!) and it is starting to almost feel like Fall here in Texas! We love this part of the season, and we are once again excited to feature another one of our wonderful Texas Collegians today. We really enjoyed following her Instastory Takeover from the UT vs OU game, and we are happy to share more about this wonderful representative of our sport. 

This week’s Collegiate Twirler Spotlight is the University of Oklahoma Feature Twirler!

The University of Oklahoma, also known as OU, is located in Norman, Oklahoma, and is the home of the Sooners. For the past several years it has also been the home of the amazing OU Feature Twirler, Emily Perkins! 

We asked Emily what brought her from Texas to Oklahoma, and she told us that originally it was suggested to her by USTA Coach and family friend, LynnDell Harrell, that she audition there, and it ended up working out to be the best-case scenario. “My dad's biological family is from Oklahoma, so I applied with being closer to them in mind. After submitting my audition, it just kind of snowballed into exactly what I wanted to be a part of!”

The position as the OU Feature Twirler is a very special opportunity as there is only one OU twirler at a time, and when a new twirler is appointed, they not only earn a scholarship, but also the chance to maintain the position for their entire term of college. With such a prestigious position, we wanted to know what the audition process was like for Emily. “First, we sent in video auditions that were about 5 minutes long. These were a combination of competition, on-field, and other performances. After the judges picked the top three, we went to the university for an in-person audition with one personal music routine and one band music routine. Finally, there was an interview with a number of questions relating to my future plans, goals, and experience as a twirler.”

Going out of state is always a big decision for those pursuing higher education. It clearly worked out well for Emily, but we wanted to know if there were any bumps along the way. “At first it was difficult to learn how to be independent, but it quickly became one of the best decisions that I have ever made because it has allowed me to grow as a coach, choreographer, academic, and as an individual.”

Now with goals to stay in Oklahoma longer, we asked what she most missed from home, and she said the Texas trails. “I miss being able to walk the trails that surround my neighborhood most because Norman doesn't have anything similar.” However, even with missing some of those hometown moments, Emily has no regrets about her choice to attend OU and wishes the same for others. “My advice to any other twirler looking to go out of state is to go for it! You will figure it out as you go.”

Now that we have learned about what brought her to OU, let’s learn more about Emily!

Emily Perkins
Emily is a First Year Graduate Student from Houston, Texas, that is studying Regional and City Planning. She has been twirling for eighteen years and competes at the Elite level. Emily is coached by Lori Perkins of KOS, and has also been a member of Intrepid (2015), Mystique (2016), Encore (2018), and most recently Luxe (2022), with whom she earned a silver medal at the WBTF World Championships. In addition to being the OU Feature Twirler, she is also working as a graduate assistant for the RCPL program, as a guard tech for a local high school, and as a baton instructor for a number of different classes. Through her years of twirling, she has earned many amazing titles, but the ones she is the proudest of was being the 2019 USTA National Collegiate Champion and being a 5 time international competition silver medalist. Emily’s favorite competition trick is a back throw catch inside leap, and her favorite field trick is a leap double walkover. In baton twirling she has been most inspired by Abigail and Anna Pollock. After college she would like to find a city planner job in OKC and continue working as a baton instructor. “I am very interested in finding ways to make public transportation more common to help the environment!”
 
Fun Facts!

• Favorite Color – Blue
• Favorite Movie or TV Show – “Yuri on Ice”
• Favorite Book – “Dune”
• Favorite Food Item – Ramen

When she is not twirling, she loves to... 
“Use my artistic skills in every area possible!” She was very excited to have the opportunity to use these skills to create the artwork/logo for the UTSA Central Region Championship this year.

Something most people might not know about her is... 
“I love gothic metal music.”

The best non-twirling life skill they have gained from baton twirling is…
“How to present myself professionally”

Advice to Future Collegiate Twirlers…
“Don't be afraid to push yourself past what you are comfortable with performing on the field.”

Favorite Memory as a Baton Twirler…
“Meeting some of my best friends!”

Funniest Memory as a Baton Twirler…
“At international cup in France (2019) I faceplanted right before competing in three baton and earning a silver medal!”
 
What advice would she give to a twirler about to go into college auditions…
“Present yourself in a professional manner and give it your all!”

What is her favorite thing about attending OU…
“I love how the graduate program for RCPL is set up, and the different academic opportunities available to me through it.”

Favorite School Game Day Tradition…
“When the stadium yells "boomer" and "sooner" back and forth.” 

Something you are really looking forward to this school year…
“Performing pre-game!”

It was an honor to follow this National Champion and World Medalist as she shared her Game Day adventure with us, and we just loved learning more about her and her experiences. We want to wish Emily a wonderful rest of the football season and good luck with all that comes next! Boomer Sooner!

We hope you have enjoyed this blog post. We are always looking for great new stories about Texas twirlers. Do you have an idea or some information we could use to help highlight our sport? Contact us at texastwirlcontact@gmail.com and we would love to hear more about it.